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Monday, September 21, 2009

I just love street fairs. When I was young, I'd go to play the games in hopes of winning the prizes. Now I have a basement full of stuffed animals. Now older (and hopefully wiser), I go for the food. They've definitely expanded the menu of foods over the years. But I still like to have some of the favorites. In Brooklyn, there's a fair that sets up on 18th Avenue in Bensonhurst. I always called the 18th Ave Fair but it actually has an official name. It's called Santa Rosalia Society Festival. On a recent afternoon, I passed by just in time for the opening. This is good for two reasons. The food is fresh and being cooked right now. And there are no lines. I start off with the classic Italian sausage, peppers, and onions hero ($6). I split this with Mr. Meat & Potatoes. We had other goodies to try. Next, we spotted this great "Latino Corner" stand. He really wanted an arepa ($4). They're corn cakes sandwiching a thick layer of cheese (mozzarella?). Not the best but really filling. He also eyed a really large empanada ($3). They had beef, chicken, and pulled pork (I think). He definitely wanted the beef. The crust was fried to a crispy goodness. The beef was well seasoned but it didn't amaze me. It was okay but I've definitely had better. I want to say here that they also had this amazing fried pork and tostones dish ($8). But with the sausage hero, arepa, and empanada in our stomachs, we couldn't fit it in. "Next time!", I said. We finished off out meal with 1 fried oreo ($1) for kicks. It was fried outside and melted on the inside. And of course, I need to have my fried zeppole ($4 for 6). These were unfortunately fried too early and so they were cold by the time we ate them. Fortunately, though, they were still crispy.